


The Truth

by appleblossom2



Category: seaQuest
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-25
Updated: 2014-08-25
Packaged: 2018-02-14 17:33:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,980
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2200719
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/appleblossom2/pseuds/appleblossom2
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A look at what happened after the episode "Nothing but the Truth" from both Ben's and Katie's POV.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Truth

It was nice to see the _seaQuest_ back to normal again. People bustled through the corridors toward their destinations and greeted me with smiles and hellos as I made my way to the mess hall. It was crowded and noisy tonight but that was fine with me. As I stood in line I noticed that Benjamin Krieg and Lucas Wolenczak had managed to gather quite a group around them, retelling our earlier adventure of being hijacked and how they had managed to save the _seaQuest_. I smiled to myself as I overheard Ben’s voice telling basically the truth but his choice of wording and slight embellishments gave it more interest and with Lucas interrupting from time to time with his own thoughts and comments it was quite a story. As I swiped my meal card at the end of the line I made eye contact with my ex-husband and he winked quickly before turning back to his audience. Any other day I probably would have busted him for it, being his superior officer and all, but tonight I just couldn’t. Glancing around the room I saw my best friend Jonathan Ford and he motioned me over to join him. 

“Sounds like they’re quite the heroes,” I quipped as I settled into my chair. 

“Yep,” Jonathan answered as he looked up at me. “They didn’t need us at all.” 

I laughed and started in on the salad in front of me. The day had been long and after the hijacking had ended and _seaQuest_ had stopped sinking we were boarded by UEO security forces to take away the surviving mercenaries and other UEO personnel who debriefed us on the incident. I had just finished giving my account to Captain Bridger before taking a quick shower and changing into comfortable clothes before heading here. 

“Katie, are you okay?” Jonathan asked. He knew it had been hard for me to tell the truth to Colonel Schraeder but I had followed his orders even when Lucas questioned me. 

“I’m fine,” I replied, answering as honestly as I could. I was fine, mostly. The blaring klaxon of the intruder alert had indeed startled me and once I couldn’t contact launch bay or Jonathan I immediately started locking down all of _seaQuest’s_ weapons before rendering her inoperable. It was by the book and if anything, in an emergency I went straight to my training, keeping my mind mainly on those tasks but all the while I had been worried about my friends. I knew I could take care of myself, but as these men entered the bridge and flashed their weapons about it was obvious that some casualties were possible. Moments later I knew I’d been right about the mercenaries as they fired their weapons after Jonathan after he had popped up into the moon pool beside me. After that I knew I would have to do my part, whatever that was, to make sure that no one else got hurt and to make certain that they did not get off the boat with the shutdown codes to all of the major nuclear and chemical plants on the surface. 

“You know,” I said softly to Jonathan as he finished his dinner. “It’s not that I don’t agree with what Colonel Schraeder was saying…”

“It’s just that neither one of us agrees with his methods,” Jonathan finished for me. 

I nodded, thinking of Colonel Schraeder sadly. He had gotten to me a little bit with his environmentalist speech and it still bothered me that at the end he’d thought I had been lying to him. He’d paid for it with his life and having to hear his last agonizing moments kept replaying in my head. 

_Commander Hitchock are you there?” Schraeder’s voice echoed through launch bay. “If I go outside, will I be crushed?”_

_“Yes, Colonel, you will.”_

_“That’s the lie I was waiting for.”_

“Katie?” Jonathan’s voice interrupted my thoughts. 

“What?” I looked at him and he was standing, clearing his plate. 

“I asked if you were ready to go?” Jonathan’s face was a mask of concern and I smiled to reassure him that everything was okay as I gathered up my own plate and followed him. 

“Sorry,” I said. “I guess I’m a little tired.” 

“Me too,” Jonathan replied. “It’s been a long day. Why don’t you get some rest.”

“Okay,” I answered, glancing over to Ben’s table where he was still regaling the crew with his heroics.

***

I noticed her as soon as she had entered the mess hall. Out of uniform with her hair down around her face, her bright blue eyes looking weary from the day’s events. I noticed the shirt right away. I always did when she wore it. It was the same blue as her eyes, button down and oversized. And it was mine. At least it had been way back when we had still been at the Naval Academy. She had borrowed it one night to wear over a t-shirt and sweats, the same type of outfit she was wearing now, to keep herself warm during a movie night and from that moment on it had become hers. I wondered if she even remembered that it had been mine. If she still would have worn it if she did. I knew she could hear me telling the crowd what had happened. The hijacking, dodging mercenaries, opening the sea valve and riding away in a flood of rushing water. I’d been lucky to make it out alive and I knew it, but for now it was all just a story. A way to let out my feelings on it without thinking about it too much. Lucas was by my side, adding embellishments here and there about his time held captive with Commander Hitchcock and how she had told him to give the bad guys a hard time. He knew Lucas was feeling the same way and using this story telling as a way to let go. The boy had been scared that’s for sure. But he hadn’t backed down from the fight. During the confrontation in launch bay I had stood just out of sight listening, waiting for the perfect time to make my move. Commander Ford’s voice was surprisingly calm as he stood in the way of the hijackers. I had just peered around the corner when the leader, Colonel Schraeder, grabbed Katie, pulling him close.

_”I don’t have time to explain, but I am not your enemy.” ___

__Lucas had taken that moment to attack the colonel and as guns raised on both sides I grabbed him and pulled him away, whispering in his ear that it was me. Making eye contact with Commander Ford I then quietly backed away pushing Lucas up the stairwell._ _

__“Stay out of eyesight,” I had whispered to him. “But nearby.”_ _

__“Okay,” the boy had responded his eyes lit with fear. During this time I heard Commander Ford speaking to Captain Bridger telling him to torpedo any small craft leaving the _seaQuest.__ _

___How long will it take to cut through this hatch?” Schraeder had asked._ _ _

___“At least an hour,” Katie answered._ _ _

___“All right, Commander, what do you have in mind?”_ _ _

___Ben wasn’t surprised when he heard Ford answer, “I’ll trade your escape for my people.”_ _ _

___“Jonathan, no,” Katie said._ _ _

___“I’ll set one of them free,” Schraeder had agreed._ _ _

___“Commander Hitchcock then,” Ford stated._ _ _

___Schraeder seemed confused by the choice. “What about the boy?”_ _ _

___“What about him?” Ford had said as I made an appearance in launch bay._ _ _

___“Ben,” Katie’s voice was just above a whisper but her smile lit her eyes and she was genuinely happy to see me._ _ _

__This was the scene that I had said very little about. My appearance had been the end to the stand off. Katie and Lucas were both safe. Colonel Schraeder was dead and the mercenaries had all been rounded up._ _

__I’d become quiet around our group of friends. Lucas was talking now, telling everyone how scared he had been as they had dragged him out of his room but I’d stopped listening. She was getting ready to leave and I wanted nothing more than to follow her. We hadn’t had a chance to talk at all and I just wanted to make sure that she was okay._ _

____

***

I was finally headed back toward my quarters. After dinner I’d been sidetracked by an engineering problem caused by the flooding of the _seaQuest_ but we had quickly resolved it. I knew I should go to bed but for some reason I just wasn’t ready to be alone. I stood in the hallway contemplating the move I wanted to make. There was one person I wanted to talk to but I didn’t know if I should. Our relationship was slowly becoming something more than just a professional one but it was still too early to tell if we were actually friends again or not. I had loved him at one point, loved him almost to distraction, but we hadn’t made it. When our marriage first crumbled it was hard not to talk him anymore. For so long he had been my confidante and losing him as my husband had been difficult but the loss of his friendship had been devastating. Of course I had acted like I didn’t care at the time, but the truth couldn’t have been any further from that. Afterwards I’d learned to keep my most intimate feelings to myself. That’s not to say that I don’t have great friends and confidantes but there are some things that I always feel uncomfortable sharing, especially if it makes me look weak or insecure. The feelings I had right now bordered on both and I didn’t like that. I could easily convince myself that I’d done everything right today and by the book. No one had been hurt that I’d cared about and everything was fine in the end but as usual my mind just couldn’t let it go.

“Katie?” His voice surprised me and I turned around slowly an embarrassed grin plastered to my face as heat spread across my cheeks. I knew I looked silly standing in front of my door, not even facing it, lost in thought. 

“Hey,” I answered nonchalantly. At least I hoped it was. Sometimes my voice betrayed my tough exterior and if I was lucky this was not one of those times. 

“You okay?” Ben asked as he approached. I could see the concern in his face and I nodded unable to say more. Reaching for the door he opened the hatch to my quarters and led me through before closing it behind him. “Are you sure?”

“I’m fine Ben.” I noticed the doubt in his eyes. “Really. I just got a little caught up in my own thoughts.”

“Okay,” he answered. “I just hope you know that I’m here if you need me.” 

I looked at him wondering if my thoughts had been that transparent of if he was just making a kind offer. These past few weeks of being near him again had been a strain. At first it had been easier to just ignore him or play the commanding officer card, but every now and then he got to me and made me remember why I’d fallen in love with him. I was the only one on the boat that knew his conman act was just that. An act. In reality the man that stood before me now, the one that had taken Jonathan’s place at the sea valve and rescued Lucas, was the man I knew best. The one who wouldn’t take no for an answer when he asked me on a date that first time. Yes he was crazy and silly and funny but he was also kind and caring and loyal. I knew anything I said to him tonight would remain between us. 

“Katie?” His voice was a whisper as his hand touched my arm lightly. 

Startled out of my thoughts for a second time in as many minutes I grinned and before he could say anything I stepped forward and wrapped my arms around his waist, burying my face into his neck. Barely half a second later his arms were around me, holding me close, rubbing my back in slow circles. I relaxed into his embrace. I hadn’t known that this was what I needed but as soon as I felt his arms closing around me the stress of the day disappeared and I knew I was safe.

\- - -

My mind was a blur of thoughts and feelings battling with each other for the upper hand. I’d seen her standing in the empty corridor. She was in front of her own quarters but her attention seemed to be farther down the hallway, or perhaps even farther away than that. I could follow her sightline and see that she was staring at my quarters. I hoped she was thinking about me just then as I’d been thinking of her. Calling her name had startled her away from wherever her thoughts were and she was embarrassed at having been caught. I could see in her eyes right away that she was conflicted about something so I opened the hatch to her quarters to let her in. She claimed to be fine and again seemed to drift off to some other place in time. It allowed me to really look at her and I was suddenly realizing how much I missed her. I hated to believe that our marriage had been a mistake. We had been so compatible at the Academy. The best. The brightest. But out in the real world, the separation was a strain. Our limited time together was spent fighting and at the time the divorce had been a relief. I tried to believe that we just weren’t good together, but that was the real problem. We were great together. It was apart we had our problems. Once we were divorced I was free to move on, but the problem was I never did. Oh sure, I dated. I saw lots of women but none of them held that spark for me that Katie had. None of them were as intriguing or intelligent. None of them knew when to call my bluff and none of them knew when I just needed someone to talk to. All evening I had wanted to talk to Katie. See how she was doing. Tell her some things that had flashed through my mind, in the moments before I’d turned the wheel on the sea valve, and afterwards as I’d fought for my life in that flooding torrent of ocean water. She would listen without judging me, without making my choices a permanent part of my Navy career. I’d gone to her quarters and she hadn’t been there so I’d wandered the corridors until I was tired. Ready to give up and go to bed and there she was. Now she was in my arms and I could tell the stress of the day had gotten to her too. I wanted to tell her that she was okay, she was safe now, but I could feel her tense shoulders relax under the touch of my fingertips so I knew the words were useless. She knew she was safe. Pulling her closer, I could smell the sweet smell of her shampoo and the scent was intoxicating. Words suddenly escaped me as my body remembered hers and a tiny spark of a flame took hold of me, burning hotter by the moment. Her lips were on mine. Or mine were on hers. I had no idea who started it. Had no intention of ending it as I pulled her even closer, one hand sliding up into her chestnut locks holding her head in place as I deepened the kiss between us. I could feel her pulling me toward the bed and suddenly she was lying under me, our mouths barely parting before coming back together again and I couldn’t believe this was happening. My hands pushed that blue shirt of mine off her shoulders and to the floor before sliding underneath the fabric of her _Property of DSV_ t-shirt. This seemed to be the breaking point. Katie pulled away from me, looking guilty and concerned.

“Wow,” she whispered and I pushed away from her sitting back on my knees as she looked at me and smiled shyly for a moment before looking away. Guilt started settling in immediately. Had I started this? I hadn’t intended to kiss her. I’d been so caught up in my thoughts of her that I really had no idea if I had initiated this or not. What if she had? Did it mean something? She was looking at me then, truly seeing the emotions crossing my face and she was no longer smiling. But she wasn’t frowning either and for a moment I could say nothing. She was my commanding officer. If she was angry I could lose my commission and I was suddenly very nervous.

\- - - 

I could see I’d made him anxious, but I had needed to come up for air. At least long enough to figure out what should happen next. Of course, I knew what should happen next. I should ask him to leave and forget this ever happened. We were treading on dangerous ground now. This was exactly why I’d been standing there debating whether to go to him or not. The choice we made now would change our friendship, what little of it there was left, forever. I wanted him, there was no doubt about that, but I was his commanding officer. I also couldn’t imagine a one night stand with him. When I loved Ben I needed him like fish needed water. There was nothing casual in what we were doing. The next step could make or break us and in such close quarters as the _seaQuest_ even rumors of a relationship would spread like wildfire. But the truth was I wanted him more than I needed him. No relationship before or after could compare and I was finally at a point in my life where I needed more than a career to sustain me. It was easy without him to focus on moving up the UEO ladder. I wanted to be a captain. I think today’s episode had proved that I could act accordingly and I knew that I could face any situation with a cool and level head. I wanted that promotion as much as anything but things had happened this year that had opened my eyes to other possibilities. Suddenly my biological clock was saying that maybe a child wouldn’t be a bad thing. Maybe I could be a mother and a captain. But as I am realizing that this dream should become a reality I also realize that I don’t want it without that perfect guy and right or wrong that guy is sitting before me, now afraid to make another move until I say something. The decision to go forward or stop rests on my shoulders and I know my next move. Without a word I reach for the hem of my t-shirt and pull it up over my head, dropping the garment to the floor next to the blue shirt that was Ben’s so long ago. His eyes widen as I reach up and unhook my bra letting it slide to the floor as well.

“Katie?” he whispers as I stare at him, waiting for him to now make the next move. “Are you sure?” 

“Yes,” I answer and in a moment his lips are back on mind and he’s lowering me back to the bed, his hands wandering over my bare flesh as I reach for his shirt. Moments later it is on the floor and soon we are lying naked in my bed, his hands touching me and caressing me in places that I have yearned for more than once. He knows me and my body responds to his touch like it never has to anyone else, and soon he is finding his way home. The years between us melt away until we are two in this world and nothing else matters. He brands me with kisses and we move together until he suddenly pulls me so close that I feel as if we are one. I hear my name softly whispered from his lips and then something more as his release nears but I’m too caught up in the spreading heat raging through my body and I cling to him as we come together and he collapses against me. For a moment we lay there, our breathing ragged, minds drifting back from nowhere and I hear it again. 

“I love you.”

\- - -

I can’t believe I said it. I hadn’t intended to, but it is the truth so she might as well know. I never stopped loving her. She turns on her side and I spoon next to her, my arms wrapped protectively around her. Maybe she didn’t hear me? I don’t know but she is quiet as her breathing slows. I chance a look at her face and see her eyes are open. She is peaceful and when her gaze meets mine a smile drifts lazily across her face. I don’t know what to say now so I kiss her cheek and snuggle back against her. Our bodies are still warm from making love and I remember other nights such as these, lying in this exact same position, me curled around her. I know she sleeps best this way and I reach for a blanket, covering us as the cool air finally covers her alabaster skin in goose flesh.

“Thank you,” she whispers, and I wonder if she means for the blanket or for what has just happened. I worry now about what happens next. If she didn’t hear me then at least I can pretend the words hadn’t escaped. But I know her better than that. She thinks things through and doesn’t reply until she has formulated a response. It is one of the things I admire about her but right now I want more. I don’t want those three words out there drifting unheard. Her breathing is slowing and I know she is asleep. I should get up, get dressed, and get the Hell out of her room before someone catches us, but I can’t. She has a hold over me now that I can’t shake and I need to be near her, like this, no matter what the consequences. My mind is drifting now and I feel the edges of sleep calling to me. This is a bad idea, falling asleep in her quarters, but exhaustion is in control now and there is nothing I can do about it.

***

The offer arrives unexpectedly. Captain of the _H. R. Clinton_ and I’m thrilled. My life really is changing in leaps and bounds. I haven’t told Ben yet but I know he’ll tell me to take it. He has been quietly supportive of my applying for several positions and has told me he’ll follow me anywhere. Our relationship has amazingly not made the rumor mills after we decided to pursue it slowly. We have discussed what went wrong the first time and even the chance that it could all happen again. But we both know that Ben pursuing a civilian job will make things better. He has joked around about working in fast food and continued the Ben persona that everyone knows and loves to keep eyes off of our relationship. So far it is working and Ben and I are in love again. Although I wonder if we were ever not in love. All I know is that our lives together are better than ever and as this tour comes to an end a new journey is beginning.

The End


End file.
